Feds Propose Fines Out Of Local Manufacturing Facility Explosion

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration says a Newark food additive manufacturer’s failure to handle hazardous materials and respond properly to an emergency led to an explosion that injured four workers in December, 2015. Two of those workers were contractors employed by a Columbus firm. The agency says Georgia-based Arboris LLC violated process safety management procedures for the handling of hazardous materials and did not have emergency shut-down procedures in place when the fire occurred. OSHA found 41 violations and has proposed a 180 thousand dollar fine. The company has also proposed a 41 thousand dollar fine for Columbus-based Atlas Industrial Contractors LLC, which employed the contractors, for three violations.